A pilot human evaluation of a formulation of irinotecan and hyaluronic acid in 5-fluorouracil-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

Background: Preclinical data demonstrate that the polysaccharide hyaluronic acid (HA) acts as a macromolecular carrier for chemotherapeutic drugs. In these studies the formulation of HA and irinotecan reduced treatment-related toxicity and improved efficacy via the preferential delivery of irinotecan to the tumor and lymph nodes. This study was designed as a first-in-man investigation of the safety and pharmacokinetics of irinotecan when administered within the HA-Irinotecan formulation.